When you pay extra to cruise a bit upscale, you get roominess, unlimited lobster tails, sushi, lamb chops Cruise ships have a reputation for encouraging a measure of gluttony. On nearly every modern ship, you may start eating before the sun comes up and maintain a forkful until late into the night, when a call [...]
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Singapore, comfy home cruise port for exploring Southeast Asia
Singapore Good news for travelers: Singapore, a gateway to vacations in Southeast Asia, and one of my favorite home ports for boarding cruise ships, is anticipating an expanded fleet of big, modern vessels. They will be based at new and enhanced marinas, built here at a cost of half a billion dollars. “No doubt about [...]
Shorter cruises for luxury lines show off ships around the world
Cruise lines from mass-market to luxury increasingly are designing shorter voyages, both to introduce their ships to vacationers who have not been to sea and to provide getaways for busy world travelers who may have only a few leisure days to spare. This year, in addition to traditional cruises of two-to-five nights out of Florida [...]
Cruising on Windstar to Dominica and Les Saintes
On its weekly winter cruises out of St. Maarten, the 310-passenger sailing ship, Wind Surf, often docks for a day at Les Saintes, a small island in the French West Indies, and at Roseau, Dominica. At Roseau, even with three moderate-sized ships parked in the harbor, you would hardly know that boatloads of tourists were [...]
Cruising Windstar’s Wind Surf in the Caribbean
The Caribbean islands that run like a loose, wiggly string from Puerto Rico southeast toward Grenada and Barbados, are situated perfectly for the meandering ways of a sailing ship. Most distances between island anchorages are relatively short, so hurry is not a factor, and there’s little need to put into the bustling ports where big [...]
Norwegian Breakaway rocks New York
Aboard the Norwegian Breakaway-Cruise lines normally shy away from mentioning “rocks” when talking about their ships and where they are sailing. But Norwegian, perhaps the most innovative of all the modern cruise companies, is not shy. And neither is the world’s newest cruise ship, the 4,028-passenger Norwegian Breakaway, which, says the company, now rocks New [...]
Windstar cruises anew, with three spiffier ships
Powered by a new owner, new leadership, and $18 million of renovation, Windstar Cruise’s three ships are sailing again with vim, vigor, a contemporary interior, and a batch of new sails that total the size of seven football fields. Windstar’s energetic president and CEO, Hans Birkholz, said that bookings for 2013 are up 60 percent [...]
Joys of cruising at tables filled with strangers
Cruise ship changes that allow you to pick the time for dinner — as well as the cuisine style and a table for two or a few close friends — are partly responsible for the continuing increase in the popularity of sea vacations. Comfort food, casual dress and anytime eating are among the top draws [...]
Eating in hog (fish) heaven, Key West, Florida
On any coast, I’m a sucker for fresh fish and a casual attitude. Give me a picnic table, a roll of paper towels, today’s catch, local beer on tap, and I’ve got all the atmosphere I want. Locals in Key West sent me to the Hogfish Bar & Grill, a great restaurant, they said, if [...]
Exploring Key West, a most decorated sandbar
I never tire of Key West. I’ve lolled around the city at the bottom of Florida maybe a dozen times, each occasion too short. When I leave, I know I will be back. Lobster Trap Christmas Tree at Key West’s Historic Seaport (Photo by Rob O’Neal ) It’s no secret that Key West is a [...]
David Molyneaux
David has cruised on more than 50 ships and is president of the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. More...
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Joys of cruising at tables filled with strangers
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Nautica diary: A bittersweet farewell after so many days exploring Southeast Asia on this cruise
- Will your next trip be a cruise or a land vacation?
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Canada/New England cruises via the Royal Princess; Caribbean via the Regal Princess
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Azamara’s Fascinating Evening Adventures
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Cruising on Oceania’s Riviera, a premium eating experience
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Princess: Supporting hearts on Valentine’s Day
- A Visit to California
- Another grandparent trip: Marcy and Jakob head to London and then sail back on the Queen Mary 2
- After 10 years Semester at Sea students will visit Cuba as part of upcoming fall voyages